this is bbc news, i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines: two men accused of carrying out beheadings for the so—called islamic state complain that they won't get a fair trial after losing their british citizenship. the senior labour party official embroiled in an anti—semitism row has stepped down from the party's ruling executive. more british diplomats have been ordered to leave moscow by the kremlin in the continuing row over the use of a nerve agent in salisbury. good evening, and welcome to bbc news. relatives of western hostages beheaded by the islamic state group have condemned comments by two british men accused of taking part in the killings. alexanda kotey and el shafee elsheikh, who are from west london,

have claimed they won't get a fair trial because — they say — they've been stripped of their uk citizenship. they've been held by kurdish fighters in syria since they were captured in january. the family of the british aid worker david haines, who was murdered in 2014, said the men should be "left to rot" duncan kennedy reports. the two men were picked up by kurdish forces in northern syria injanuary and have been part of a sadistic gang of british is fighters that tortured and beheaded dozens of hostages. four of them stood out for their brutality. mohammed emwazi, known asjihadi jack, now dead, aine davis, now injail, and the newly captured pair, alexanda kotey and el shafee elsheikh. they're accused of the beheadings of alan henning, an aid driver from eccles, and david haines, a former raf engineer from perth who also delivered aid.

now, in comments which have outraged their victims‘ families, kotey and elsheikh have called the murders of their hostages regrettable. they also say the uk has illegally withdrawn their citizenship. one of their victims was james foley, an american tv journalist, in the helmet, who was beheaded. his mother says she is worried any delay in deciding their future could risk them escaping. if somebody doesn't take the leadership and take them to trial, i fear they'll get away or something else. i'm concerned that the international community and our government, the us government and uk, need to work together to hold them accountable. tonight, the home office wouldn't say whether alexanda kotey and el shafee elsheikh had been stripped of their british

citizenship but said the uk was working with its allies to ensure justice was carried out, which for some could mean an international court ofjustice. one option might be that they could be put on trial in front of an international criminal court, and that isn't impossible, and indeed, i think there may be some argument is that the international community should be working together to see if individuals who have committed these crimes can be brought tojustice. the british is fighters are believed to have beheaded at least 27 hostages amid appalling brutality, which is why some legal experts believe britain should take responsibility for the captured men. we have a duty, i think, to try them fairly, as we will, and to punish them heavily, and to show the world just how british justice works. they stand accused of the most barbaric crimes. where and when they answer for them is now the subject of intense international debate. duncan kennedy, bbc news.

the daughter of the aid worker david haines, who was killed by the cell, said alexanda kotey and el shafee elsheikh had showed no remorse. in a statement, bethany haines said: christine shawcroft has resigned from labour's ruling body, as the anti—semitism row continues. ms shawcroft was under pressure to resign after 44 labour mps and peers signed a letter tojeremy corbyn over her handling of a complaint about anti—semitism. the comedian eddie izzard will replace her on labour's national executive committee. a short while ago, our political correspondent chris mason gave me more details.

she's concluded that the pressure simply was not going to go away. this all came about as a result of her saying that a council candidate who had been accused of anti—semitism should be allowed to stand in the local elections coming up the month after next. she subsequently said she hadn't read the information about this guy sufficiently rigourously and apologised and was absolutely clear that she thought anything that was anti—semitic was utterly indefensible. but the pressure group, as you say, from these mps and peers who were saying tojeremy corbyn, ok, she has said she will step down from this dispute panel that looks into disciplinary matters within the labour party, but what about her seat on the national executive committee, the governing body of the labour party? the line that came from senior labour figures is that she was elected to this position, so it is not the role of anybody within the party to forcibly remove her. some of the argument from critics ofjeremy corbyn

was, hang on a minute, if the leader publicly said her position is untenable, she might be elected, but you would have to go. britain's most senior police officer, the metropolitan commissioner, cressida dick, has suggested that social media is partly to blame for some violent crime, including a rising number of knife attacks. in an interview with the times, ms dick said the websites were being used by gangs to glamorise violence and they allowed trivial disputes to escalate quickly. teachers have moved a step closer towards allowing strike action if they don't receive substantial pay rises next year. it follows lengthy debate over pay and conditions — at the annual national education union conference in brighton. our correspondent marc ashdown was there. so teachers have now backed a possible ballot on strike action over their pay. the conference was told that it has fallen by 20% in real terms over the past seven years. we heard all sorts of delegates

in the hall sharing horror stories, really, about how tough conditions have got for teachers, overworked, long hours, stressful, lots of teachers teaching subjects they are not qualified as specialists in. one teacher saying that after paying all the bills, she only had £60 a month to live in, and a lot of them said you can forget about buying property. up the road, the nasuwt, in birmingham, also voted to back a possible rolling strike, so what now? well, they go away, the executive committees, they will put a pay deal to the government, we understand they will demand a 5% pay rise this september. if that is not forthcoming, they have the option for a ballot on strikes. the last time that happened was 2016, we saw thousands of schools closed. it is a difficult one for the government, schools have been saying they have got no money, head teachers say their budgets are under intense pressure, so they are saying they could not

fund a pay rise. theoretically, the government would have to find extra money. the nhs has just had a 2% pay rise, 6% over three years, so it will be interesting to see what now happens. we are a long way from strikes, i think this can best be described as salting the battlefield, giving the executive the ammunition, really, to apply for the pay rise. we are a long way from seeing picket lines and placards, but teachers have taken a step towards possible industrial action. fears that two british members of the islamic state group, detained in syria, could escape justice. alexanda kotey and el shafee elsheikh are accused of being members of the gang that murdered dozens of western hostages. the mother of one victim, james foley, says britain and the us must hold the men to account, as the uk resists calls for them to face trial here. i think there may be some arguments that the international community

should be working together to see if individuals who have committed these crimes can be brought tojustice. also on tonight's programme... teachers move closer to strike action, as they demand an above inflation pay rise. gunshots palestinians bury their dead — as the un calls for an inquiry into the shooting of 15 protesters by israeli security forces. and a century forjonny bairstow — have fortunes changed for england in new zealand? good evening and welcome to bbc news. there's a warning that two british men detained in syria, accused of being members of an islamic state gang that

murdered dozens of hostages, could escape justice. alexanda kotey and el shafee elsheikh were captured by kurdish fighters in january. britain is resisting calls to bring them to the uk to face trial, and there are reports they've been stripped of their british citizenship. relatives of some of their victims have said britain and america must quickly reach agreement on bringing the men tojustice. duncan kennedy reports. the two men were picked up by kurdish forces in northern syria injanuary. they had been part of a sadistic gang of british is fighters that tortured and beheaded dozens of hostages. four of them stood out for their brutality. mohammed emwazi, known asjihadi john, found dead. aine davis, now injail. and the newly captured pair, alexanda kotey and elsheikh. they're accused of at least 27 beheadings, including alan henning, and aid driver from eccles, and david haines,

a former raf engineer from perth. now in comments which have outraged their victims‘ families, kotey and elsheikh have called the murders of their hostages regrettable, and also say the uk has legally withdrawn their citizenship. one of their victims was the american journalist james foley, here in the helmet. his mother says she is worried the men could escape if there is a delay in dealing with them. if somebody doesn't take the leadership and take them to trial, i fear they will get away or something else. i am concerned that the international community and our government, the us government, and the uk, need to work together to hold them accountable. but that raises the question of where the two men should be held accountable. the home secretary, amber rudd, has not confirmed they have both been stripped of their british citizenship.

what is known is that the uk has been speaking to the americans about them, and that the last thing britain wants is to have them back here to stand trial. a view endorsed by the government's legal and political supporters. i'm sure it would be desirable that individuals against whom there are serious allegations, should be brought to trial. but that's not to say that the home secretary is wrong in her view that they should be deprived of british citizenship, which i understand she's done, though it hasn't been confirmed. and therefore has no desire to bring them into this country to try them. but others say as the men spent most of their lives in britain, it's british justice they should face. we have a duty, i think, to try them, fairly as we will, and to punish them heavily. and to show the world just how british justice works. elsheikh and kotey stand accused of the most barbaric crimes. where and when they answer for them is now the subject of intense international debate.

duncan kennedy, bbc news. with me is our political correspondent, chris mason. what exactly is the government saying? they are neither confirming nor denying whether they have removed citizenship. the word is they have. the defence secretary was very outspoken about this last month, saying in his view they had betrayed british values and he never wa nted betrayed british values and he never wanted to see them setting foot on british soil again. what is intriguing today is that the foreign office has said it has continued to talk extremely closely with americans. but the american defence secretary, james mattis, has said in recent weeks that he believes the country of origin of people in these circumstances should bear the responsibility of deciding what happens, and for ultimately putting them on trial, which would put the ohus them on trial, which would put the onus back on the uk. so there is an

agreement internationally they should face justice, they should be prosecuted. but there is no agreement about how, where or when that should happen. into that there isa limbo that should happen. into that there is a limbo at the moment and the danger that they could disappear, and so the justice people are desperate to see done here, doesn't happen. chris mason, thank you. the ministry of defence has released the name of the british soldier who was killed on thursday in syria, while fighting islamic state militants. 33—year—old sergeant matt tonroe was from the parachute regiment. his commanding officer paid tribute to him, saying he was "a caring and considerate soul, a loving and dutiful son, and a friend to many". teachers have moved closer to allowing rolling strike action, if they don't receive an above inflation and across the board pay increase next year. if ballots for industrial action go ahead, it could mean disruption in schools in england, wales and northern ireland. our education editor, bra nwen jeffreys, reports. i've asked you do stop your experiments because we're kind of

running out of the solutions. teachers say they are running out of patience. their pay has fallen further than nurses or police officers. many argue their workload is unbearable. some are leaving as a result. today, those feelings spilled out in a debate. young teachers are leaving in droves. who wants to spend years studying to enter a profession, and then not be even paid enough to earn or rent a decent home? our teachers are fed up with low pay, the erosion of our national pay structure and watching good teachers leave the profession. they deserve better, and most importantly, they want to do something about it. can i see all those in favour? that something, a vote to consider a strike ballot. teachers here are fired up about their workload and their pay. but the government has made it harder for public sector workers to go on strike. so there will be months of consultation first. and in the meantime,

there could be a pay offer. i do think teachers, looking at the nhs settlement, will now be expecting that the pay offer will be at least the level of the nhs workers got. the government will have to weigh up its priorities. the cost of a pay rise, against the growing difficulties of recruiting teachers. branwen jeffreys, bbc news, brighton. a labour party official at the centre of a dispute about anti—semitism has stepped down from the party's ruling body. christine shawcroft had been under pressure to leave labour's national executive committee, after opposing the suspension of a council candidate accused of holocaust denial. in a statement, she said she was completely opposed to anti—semitism, and supported jeremy corbyn‘s efforts to tackle it. she'll be replaced on the nec by the comedian eddie izzard. russia has told britain it must cut a further 27 staff working in the country,

in a worsening of relations following the salisbury nerve agent attack on a former russian spy and his daughter. it's not clear whether the staff affected are diplomats or local workers. more than 100 russian diplomats have been expelled by dozens of countries in response to the poisoning. the united nations is calling for an independent inquiry, following the shooting dead of at least 15 palestinian protesters by israeli security forces yesterday. hundreds of people were wounded when soldiers opened fire on palestinians demonstrating on gaza's border with israel. yolande knell reports from jerusalem. gunshots this was a day of mourning. thousands turning out for funerals in gaza. distraught relatives. and defiant militants. yesterday palestinians said they planned a peaceful march on the israel

palestinian border. but israel's military says demonstrators threw stones and tried to breach the perimeter fence. that's when its soldiers opened fire. and the result was deadly. at least 15 killed and hundreds wounded. palestinians here are demanding the right to return to land they lost 70 years ago, when the state of israel was created. they say they won't give up, although israel has long rejected theirclaim. translation: they say the old will die and the young will forget, but yesterday, there were young people, children, women and men at the borderers, showing the occupier that they will not forget. this is their land. we will not forget, nor will we surrender. the un is calling for an investigation. but israeli officials blame gaza's leaders for stirring up unrest. of course they're allowed to protest but this wasn't a protest.

this was an attempt of potentially thousands of people to cross over into israel. any state in the world would have ta ken measures to stop people from infiltrating into its territory. for the next six weeks, palestinians say they'll stay in these camps near the israeli border. and the fear is that further mass protests here will it lead to further violence. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. hundreds of people gathered on the streets of cambridge this afternoon, for the funeral of professor stephen hawking, the renowned theoretical physicist who died two weeks ago. the service was a private one forfamily, friends and colleagues to celebrate his life. jo black was outside the university church, where it was held. he was one of the greatest scientists of modern times, an international icon, but home was cambridge, the city and the university. the bell at great st mary's tolled 76 times, once for each year he lived. bell tolls.

outside, in the drizzle and rain, thousands came to say goodbye to the man with the magnificent mind. professor hawking was such an inspiring person, and it's a very sad day. history is being made today, because stephen hawking is going to be interred in westminster abbey next to sir isaac newton. he's a scientifical genius, like, he's discovered a lot of things, and it's just showing appreciation. people stood quietly, respectfully, breaking into spontaneous applause as professor hawking's coffin was carried in and out of the church. his family stood solemnly but proud. his first wife, jane hellyerjones, waved as the hearse pulled away. the service was very heartfelt, we heard remembrances about his work, as well as his family, how he was as a man and how he was as a physicist and how

he was as a wonderful human being. also among the 500 mourners were actor eddie redmayne, who played the professor in the film the theory of everything, comedian and science presenter dara o briain, and astrophysicist and musician brian may. this was a private service for professor hawking's family, friends and colleagues. jo black reporting there from cambridge. with all the sport, here's karthi at the bbc sport centre. good evening. there were important premier league games today, with implications for the teams at the top and bottom of the table, but it is time to pop out of the room if you don't want to know the results — as match of the day follows soon on bbc one. manchester city beat everton 3—1, which means they are nowjust one win away from being crowned premier league champions. their next game is against manchester united on saturday.

at the other end of the table, west ham moved away from trouble and up to 14th place, with a 3—0 win over southampton, who are in the relegation zone. romelu lukaku scored his 100th premier league goal, as manchester united, who are in second, beat swansea city. bottom of the table west brom edge closer to relegation with defeat to burnley. celtic are within nine points of winning the scottish premiership title for a seventh successive season. brendan rodgers' side beat ross county. rangers are 12 points behind them in second place. they came back from two goals down against motherwell to draw 2—2. jamie murphy with the equaliser against his former club. england's cricketers will resume play on day three of the second test against new zealand in just over an hour's time, with the hosts trailing by 115 runs. stuart broad took four wickets for 38, as england attempt to level the series at 1—1. patrick gearey reports. a glance around christchurch boss ——

christchurch's green and pleasant land and you would think it was england. jonnny bairstow first lunar south 154 days ago. this century suggest he feels comfortable. home is where the heart is. ten minutes later it seemed to forget where the fielder was. england 307 all out. no time to rest forjohnny. in ten minutes he would be in another set of gloves. in place, tom latham. stuart broad and james anderson were keeping him and his slips busy, bowling with the spring of men determined to put a frustrating winter behind them. for a time their skill deceived even the umpire. bruce oxenford said no, but that is what the replays are for. i would, again. when anderson got kane williamson, caught bairstow, they had them 36—5. to get out of such a

hole the black caps needed some muscle. colin de grandhomme is a big man. as england waned, he waxed. his partner, smaller in size but not ambition. he lifted his team out of their crisis. both passed 70 before broad and bairstow combined again. de grandhomme gone and england stayed on top. for now. patrick geary, bbc news. england's women were beaten by australia in the final of the twenty20 tri—series tournament in mumbai. australia made the highest total in women's twenty20 internationals, with 209—4. they beat england by 57 runs. in the next few minutes, great britiain‘s anthonyjoshua and joseph parker of new zealand will walk out at the principality stadium in front of around 78,000 fans, ahead of what is the first heavyweight unification fight to take place in britain. joshua, who is the 2012 olympic super heavyweight champion, is expected to earn around £15 million from tonight's fight. that's all for now. that is it. good

night. bye—bye. many of you, through this weekend, have had to look at something akin to that, the favoured few have seen something a good deal cheerier. the reason for this mishmash is that some of you have been stuck close by toa some of you have been stuck close by to a weather front that has affected the south—east of scotland, the north—east of england. further west, brighter skies. he is today, much improved form any part of the british isles undulating in the day. —— easter day. for the most part,

yes, a lot of cloud out towards the east, and shun sharp showers as well, but much drierfor east, and shun sharp showers as well, but much drier for many more of you, and a better chance of seeing some sunshine at least, although with me will be in short supply in the east. temperature is nothing to write home about. later in the day, dragging this further north into a cooling atmosphere, overnight through into monday, wales, the north midlands, northern ireland, then increasingly up towards the northern hills of england, the southern uplands of scotla nd england, the southern uplands of scotland and through the central belt through easter monday, we could see significant snow. several centimetres across higher ground, but even to lower levels don't be surprised if you start to see the total is building up. further south, not an issue, but further north they

disrupt the risk of snow. —— a disruptive risk of snow. by tuesday, that weather front is in the northern half of the british isles, low pressure very much the dominant factor. there will be quite a breeze from the south and south—west, doing wonders for the temperatures,